“Kono-shi-ta-kun, how about this outfit?”
Chizuru Minamihara pointed at an outfit on a mannequin in the store.
“No, it doesn't look like it suits me at all.” Kazuya Kono-shi-ta usually chose simple styles for his clothes, the kind of flashy color scheme on the mannequin wasn’t Kazuya’s style at all.
“You know, the kind of outfits mannequins wear are the ones that confident salespeople put together to sell clothes in the store, they're like 'advertisements' for the store, so they put a lot of thought into them.”
Chizuru Minamihara explained: “Whether it suits you or not, you have to try it on to know.”
Chizuru Minamihara called over a sales clerk, ready to have Kazuya try on the clothes.
“Is that so? When I bought clothes in the past, I saw these complete outfits and thought they were just one set. After all, the styles are usually very unified.” Kazuya said: “I learned something new.”
Chizuru Minamihara spoke to the clerk.
The sales clerk was also a young woman, with a ponytail and a beautiful neck. A truly pretty young girl. However, Chizuru Ichinose in her “Chizuru Mode” today was even prettier. She was beautiful in every way, both innocent and stylish.
“Excuse me!”
“We'd like to try on that whole outfit that's on the mannequin, is that okay?”
The sales clerk came up to them: “Are you talking about this outfit?”
She pointed at the mannequin in front of them. The sales clerk hadn’t noticed them before, after all, they weren’t the only ones in the store. She was still taking care of other customers.
“Yes, please.” Kazuya nodded.
The sales clerk skillfully found the right size for Kazuya. Her ability to instantly understand what a customer needs was truly impressive.
Kazuya went into the fitting room.
A few minutes later.
Kazuya Kono-shi-ta pushed open the fitting room door and stepped out.
“Not bad,” Chizuru Minamihara looked at Kazuya, who looked more charming in the well-fitting clothes, and said with satisfaction: “This outfit looks great on you.”
Kazuya Kono-shi-ta looked at himself in the mirror. His gradually toned physique flattered the clothes he wore.
“Not bad,” Kazuya Kono-shi-ta smiled. He usually chose simple clothes, but he could pull off this trendy, multi-colored look.
“This one works, do you want to keep looking?” Chizuru Minamihara asked.
“I'm probably going to buy 3 or 4 outfits this time.” He would have to try on more outfits. The thought of it made him feel annoyed. Most men don’t enjoy shopping for clothes.
“Is that so? Well, then let's take our time.” Chizuru Minamihara nodded: “We have plenty of time.”
They didn’t pick out outfits one by one anymore.
Short-sleeved shirts, jackets, pants…
Kazuya Kono-shi-ta chose about two sets of clothes from this store.
After a winding and roundabout journey of trying on clothes, Kazuya finally got Chizuru Minamihara’s approval. He ended up spending about 100,000 yen in exchange for two sets of stylish clothing from head to toe.
“Hey! Aren’t you going to change into your new clothes?”
After paying, Chizuru Minamihara's crisp voice rang out, close to his ear.
“I don't want to. I'm used to washing new clothes before wearing them.”
It was something his family used to tell him, even though he didn't really care at the time, now he wanted to follow their advice more.
“Is that so?”
Chizuru Minamihara had a slightly regretful smile on her face. She liked Kazuya Kono-shi-ta more in his stylish, flashy mode than in his current, rustic outfit.
Both men and women prefer to be with handsome guys and beautiful girls, after all. Everyone is a little bit of a lookist, more or less.
“I'll have you pack them up then.”
The sales clerk said, "Let's go over here,” leading them to the front counter.
He changed back into his original clothes. The sales clerk folded his clothes and put them in a bag.
Japanese customer service is really good. Kazuya admired the service and was impressed. When the sales clerk passed by Kazuya Kono-shi-ta, she whispered to him in a voice that Chizuru Minamihara shouldn't be able to hear: “Your girlfriend is really adorable. Boys should take the initiative and treasure her more. It would be better if you did.”
Her voice and smile were like a little devil's.
“Well… we’re not like that!” Kazuya denied, and the clerk said to him, "Oh, I see. So young, so innocent!”
Mind your own business! It’s not like I was staring at the back of your pretty neck!
Then, they left the store.
“Let’s go check out some other shops.” Chizuru Minamihara adjusted her clothes, ready to set out again.
“Let’s go.” Kazuya said.
…
It was already afternoon.
Kazuya Kono-shi-ta and Chizuru Minamihara walked out of the clothing store.
In the crowded streets, under the blazing sun, Chizuru Minamihara and Kazuya Kono-shi-ta walked side by side, looking just like any other couple shopping.
They soon came to the front of a wagashi store. Kazuya Kono-shi-ta stopped and saw that the store was popular. People were lined up all the way out the door.
“Minamihara-san, can I call you Ichinose?” Kazuya asked. He wanted to be friends with Chizuru Minamihara. He’d put the stage name “Minamihara” aside for now.
“Hmm?” Chizuru Minamihara didn’t immediately understand.
“It’s okay to call me Ichinose too.” However, Chizuru Minamihara understood that this was probably Kazuya’s way of trying to build a better relationship with her.
“Okay then.”
Kazuya had a feeling that the name “Minamihara” would be a barrier between him and Ichinose Chizuru.
“Ichinose-san, what do you want to eat?” Kazuya looked around and saw: “Tamagoyaki, taiyaki, takoyaki, or mitarashi dango?”
“I don't want anything.” Chizuru Minamihara automatically declined.
“It's tiring to go shopping. You’ll get tired easily if you don't eat anything,” Kazuya smiled.
“Well, then you can just go buy some, Kono-shi-ta-kun.” Chizuru Minamihara shook her head: “You don't have to worry about me, I'm not hungry.”
“How can that be? You came out to help me choose clothes, I’m buying you some snacks to express my thanks.” Kazuya’s eyes were sincere.
“Well, if you insist, I’ll have some dango.” Chizuru Minamihara blushed and looked away.
“…”
Dango is one of the most common street snacks in Japan. It’s mainly made of glutinous rice. A string of dango can have a different number of pieces. You can find strings with three, four or five pieces.
The name comes from a shrine in Kyoto that held an event called “Mitarashi Festival” to worship and pray for blessings. Dango was an offering used in the ceremony, hence the name “Mitarashi dango.”
Dango has its own theme song, “Dango Daikazoku.”
“Dango Daikazoku” is Nagisa Furukawa's favorite song in the anime “CLANNAD.” She always loved and appreciated “Dango Daikazoku.” In the anime, Nagisa Furukawa recruits members for the drama club to fulfill her dream. The poster she puts up is a poster for “Dango Daikazoku.”
The tune of “Dango Daikazoku” is soft, warm, cute, and pure and quiet.
But as the plot progresses, it brings sadness, making you feel like you can forget where you are, even making you cry for no reason.
“Let's go stand in line.”
“Okay.”
Chizuru Minamihara quietly agreed, moving from walking side by side with Kazuya to standing behind him, waiting in line.
…
Kazuya Kono-shi-ta saw the familiar big bow.
The blue-eyed beauty was walking side by side with a man in a suit on the street.
She saw Kazuya Kono-shi-ta and the pretty girl next to him.
But she felt like she recognized them somehow.
Kazuya waved to Ruko Sarashina. She just nodded in greeting and went her own way.
…
“What’s wrong, did you see someone you know?” Chizuru Minamihara asked.
“Yeah, I saw someone I met during my morning workout.” Kazuya turned around: “I wonder who the guy next to her is? Her boyfriend? He seems like a salaryman.”
“What do you mean?” Chizuru Minamihara was a little confused.
“Ichinose-san, is it common for high school girls to have boyfriends who are salarymen?” Kazuya didn’t know much about real-life Japanese high school girls. He’d learned a lot from anime, though.
“It’s not common, I guess. When I was in high school, most people were dating college students at most.” Chizuru Minamihara said, “What’s wrong, are you worried?”
“A little. It’s normal to be concerned when you see someone you know with a stranger.” Kazuya nodded: “But I don’t need to worry too much. She's a high school student. She would have told me if she needed help. She did just now.”
They quickly reached the front of the wagashi store. It was their turn next, and the conversation ended.
…
“Ichinose-san, what flavor dango do you want?” Kazuya asked.
When mitarashi dango is first taken out of the pot, it’s just a roasted white glutinous rice ball. It doesn’t taste very good. Nowadays, with the improvement of living standards, many different flavors of dango have been developed.
Classic mitarashi dango is brushed with soy sauce. There’s also the common pink-white-green Hanami dango, which has red bean paste on top. There’s also matcha dango with red bean paste on top, and salty dango sprinkled with seaweed, as well as many other flavors. Only your imagination limits the flavors. There’s no flavor a chef can’t make.
Under the blanket of modern cuisine, there are many strange foods that didn’t work out.
“I'll have some red bean matcha dango.” Kazuya Kono-shi-ta said.
“And I’ll have some salty dango.” Chizuru Minamihara made her choice, but her eyes kept drifting towards other flavors of dango.
A moment later.
“Here you go.” Kazuya Kono-shi-ta handed Chizuru Minamihara the plastic takeout container: “Your salty dango.”
Chizuru Minamihara took it, a bright smile on her face.
“Thank you, Kono-shi-ta-san, no, Kono-shi-ta-kun.”
Kazuya Kono-shi-ta was taken aback: “You’re welcome, Ichinose-kun.”
They would probably redefine their relationship and distance based on the idea of being classmates from now on.
…
Kazuya Kono-shi-ta had only heard the name “dango” and hadn’t actually eaten it before. He was curious to know what it tasted like, as it looked similar to the fried sesame balls he ate when he visited relatives when he was a kid.
Kazuya Kono-shi-ta and Chizuru Minamihara walked out of the store.
They stopped in a suitable place.
“Let's eat before we go.”
“Okay…”
Chizuru Minamihara agreed, picking up a string of salty dango and taking a small bite. Kazuya saw the girl’s cherry lips meet the white glutinous rice. The stickiness of the rice left a white string. The girl’s pink tongue came out and circled around the small piece of dango, severing the string.
Kazuya’s movements paused slightly, and his gaze followed hers, a little dazed.
Chizuru Minamihara was like the goddess Aphrodite in her youth. A beautiful life, as beautiful as the life she created!
“What are you looking at?”
Chizuru Minamihara noticed that Kazuya was looking at her and gave him a playful glare. She was trying to look imposing, but the dango in her mouth made her cheeks round and a little comical.
“Nothing.”
Kazuya Kono-shi-ta cleared his throat and looked away.
He picked up the most beautiful matcha dango. Looking at the matcha dango with red beans on top, he took a bite.
The flavor was a refreshing sweetness from the red beans. The initial taste was a little strange. But after chewing a few times, he realized it was chewy and had a refreshing matcha aftertaste. It was surprisingly good.
Kazuya ate dango, each one about the size of his grandma’s sesame balls, and looked at Chizuru Minamihara.
“I’m going to get two cups of milk tea. What flavor do you want?”
“…” Chizuru Minamihara glanced at the still-hot sun: “Then please, Kono-shi-ta-kun, I’ll have a vanilla milk tea with ice.”
“Just a minute.”
Milk tea shops are a must-have for any street aimed at young people.
Kazuya Kono-shi-ta quickly bought two cups of milk tea from a milk tea shop.
He found Chizuru Minamihara and handed her the vanilla milk tea: “The outside of the cup has some water on it, be careful.”
Milk tea with ice, according to the principles of liquefaction in physics, caused water molecules in the air to condense on the surface of the milk tea cup.
“Thank you, Kono-shi-ta-kun.” Chizuru Minamihara took the milk tea and took a sip.
“Let's take a break and then start again.” Kazuya Kono-shi-ta continued eating dango: “How does that sound?”
“Okay, Kono-shi-ta-kun.”
Chizuru Minamihara nodded.
After that, Chizuru Minamihara accompanied Kazuya Kono-shi-ta to find several clothing stores and bought clothes.
“Ichinose-san, do you need to buy anything?” Kazuya Kono-shi-ta asked.
“No, I’m good.”
“Then we’ll part ways here.” Kazuya said: “My hair salon appointment is almost here.”
“What are you doing next, Kono-shi-ta-kun?”
Chizuru Minamihara was curious.
“I’m going to get my hair dyed a new color and get a new haircut.” Kazuya touched his hair: “I’m not really happy with my hair color and style now.”
“Why don’t I go with you?”
Chizuru Minamihara thought that since she agreed to help, she should stick with it until the end.
“No, you don’t have to. It's going to take a long time. Too bad, I can’t take you out to dinner today.” Kazuya turned around: “So that’s it. Bye bye.”
They both headed towards the train station.
After watching Chizuru Minamihara board the train, Kazuya Kono-shi-ta was ready to go to the salon.
Nothing special happened on the way to the hair salon, and things went smoothly.
Kazuya Kono-shi-ta asked the stylist to cut his hair in a style that suited him. He wanted to dye his hair again, even black would be better than the orange he’d chosen. He just let the stylist do whatever she wanted after that.
He also asked the stylist to trim his eyebrows.
Since he was going for a complete makeover, Kazuya Kono-shi-ta let himself go, doing everything with gusto.
It cost him over 20,000 yen.
He looked in the mirror. Apart from a few minor details on his face that needed some work, he was now a freshly baked Tokyo handsome guy.
This Saturday, he had learned how to choose clothes, how to ask for the style he wanted for his hair and eyebrows, and how to practice speaking in a particular tone, and it was all over by dusk.
When he got home.
“I’m home.”
Kazuya, who was more tired than usual, took off his shoes, went into the bathroom to take a shower and change into his new clothes.
The system’s blue screen appeared:
[Charm: 6↑]
Kazuya Kono-shi-ta looked at himself in the mirror now. Finally, he had some of his original handsomeness back.
After that.
[1 Unit Energy Point, Target: Kazuya Kono-shi-ta, Minor Body and Face Adjustment]
[Character: Kazuya Kono-shi-ta]
[Charm: 7↑]
Kazuya Kono-shi-ta looked in the mirror and smiled handsomely.
…
The night passed without incident.
The next day.
6:30 AM.
Kazuya Kono-shi-ta woke up to the sound of his alarm. He turned off his phone alarm, rubbed his temples, took a deep breath, and sat up.
He got out of bed, got dressed, washed up, ate two pieces of bread and a carton of milk, and then put on his running shoes and went out.
Even as a handsome guy, he couldn’t give up on fitness. He couldn’t skip his daily exercise check-in.
Kazuya Kono-shi-ta stepped out of his apartment building and looked up at the sky. The sky was just starting to show signs of dawn. The darkness of night was ambiguous, and the city was gradually becoming noisy under the faint sunlight.
The street was already bustling with people. Kazuya Kono-shi-ta noticed that he was gradually attracting attention. Most people would look at him when they passed by.
Ten minutes later.
Kazuya Kono-shi-ta walked into the park, which was unusually quiet in the morning light. He adjusted his breathing and started jogging.
Without realizing it, the morning sun shone on Kazuya, making the beautiful boy gradually glow.
A few women gradually approached Kazuya and started jogging with him. But they couldn’t keep up with his pace, so they could only run with him for a short distance.